1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of web site account and e-commerce management and more particularly to a method, system and computer readable medium for managing a plurality of web site accounts and for providing a secure methodology for e-commerce transactions from a central web site location.
2. Discussion of the Background
In recent years, numerous Internet or World Wide Web (“WWW” or “web”) sites (e.g., Alta Vista, Yahoo!, autobytel.com, msn Hotmail, iwon, headhunter.net, Travelocity.com, deja.com, Amazon.com, etc.) have been created and require users to create personal accounts therein. The personal accounts typically include a login name and password and are typically linked to optional demographic, credit/debit card and other information, which can be entered through web-based forms while the user is online.
However, due to the numerous personal online accounts and passwords, which a single user typically generates to access the user's preferred web sites, it is often difficult for the user to keep track of and manage the numerous accounts and passwords. Accordingly, typical inconveniences and/or issues attributed to such web sites include, for example: (i) a user having to re-enter the same personal information at every new web site that the user want to be registered, (ii) a user having to re-type the same recurring user names and passwords to get through the gateways of most web sites and online e-mail accounts, and (iii) a user being subjected to advertising systems, which track the user's online destinations in order to deliver targeted advertisements to the user.
In addition, many of the web sites allow for online purchasing of products and/or services via a credit/debit card. The ability to purchase such products and/or services online is based on existing credit/debit card information stored in a user's online account or based on credit/debit card information entered while online. However, typical concerns and inconveniences attributed to such web sites include the financial security of a user's credit/debit card information while online on such web sites and the privacy issues relating to online theft of such confidential information and other fraudulent acts. The wide-spread extent of such concerns is exemplified by an online survey conducted by Newsweek.MSNBC.com by 5 P.M. EST, Feb. 25, 2000, which asked what cyber crime activity most users fear. The results of the survey included a nasty computer virus (26%), a business meddler (6%), an e-mail spy (9%), a stranger approaching children in a chat room (11%) and a hacker stealing credit-card numbers (48%).